In this Discussion

Alcohol free hand sanitizer

I found a dead thread about this topic that didn't help me much, but I would like to share what I
have learnt looking for an acceptable hand sanitizer for my Muslim
clients (or those serving the Muslim community).

As
far as having your products used in an Halaal setting, ethanol is not a
problem. But there are some origins of ethanol that would be a problem.
First grape based ethanol is a big no. Then following any alcohol that
was manufactured for drinking. So coal based ethanol is your best bet,
but fermented alcohols could also be
considered fine, as long as it isn't from grapes or made for drinking.

Also non of your products should be animal based. For example if you are going to use glycerine it should be plant based.

Some Muslim certification bodies might have a problem with ethanol, but one can always use propanol. It hasn't been a problem to those I've spoken to, but it could. I would also then recommend using the wording propanol instead of something like propyl alcohol, especially if the person you are dealing with doesn't know much about chemistry.

In the end there doesn't seem to be an alcohol free hand sanitizer that I could come across, but also my perceived need for one was wrong.

Comments

You could use cationic like Chlorhexidine digluconate and use a cellulosic thickener to build up the viscosity. Just need to find the right cellulosic thickener, I have used from Dow range and it seems pretty acceptable.

As far as having your products used in an Halaal setting, ethanol is not a problem.The day I arrived in Jeddah they were chopping the head off some Egyptian butcher who had drunk the wrong perfume and gone mad and killed his customers. "Ah yes" one of the locals said to me, "He drank the perfume cologne and not the drinking cologne."

@Belassi Excellent anecdote! I only spent hours in Jeddah back in 1991, but I found that in much of the Muslim World they had workarounds to drinking. It is a generalization since many are observant of the restrictions but it was there. In Karachi Pakistan, I sampled a home-brewed alcohol concoction that could have stripped paint.

markfuller@microformulation.com
Microformulation.com
Microformulation Cosmetic Consulting provides Custom Formulations for both large Commercial accounts as well as smaller entrepreneurs. We can provide Naturally compliant Formulations under the NSF, NPA, Whole Foods and USDA Organic Certifications.